Conrad Fjetland's Recommendations

Dr. Fjetland teaches the lecture component of this lab, while each section has a TA that runs each individual lab. I'll first give a general overview of the class, and then go into specifics of how the sections work, what is expected, etc. The class consists of a weekly lecture and a weekly lab section. Try to space these out a few days so that you aren't rushing to complete the prelab before your section. The lecture usually gets out a few minutes early, but make sure you go, since Dr. Fjetland gives lots of detail that they expect in the lab reports. The TA's have a rubric for each report, but they aren't allowed to give it to you. Going to lecture and writing down the things he says (he only writes general things on the board) will give you a great basis for the lab reports. There is a prelab due before you do the experiments that consists of a brief introduction, writing out the main reaction, and copying MSDS information from the online handout. This is very tedious and doesn't require much thought, but give yourself 45 mins to 1 hour if you want to get everything down or if your TA is a stickler for the information.Another tip for the lectures: If you get stuck with the 8AM lecture, there is another one at 5PM that day, and there are two lecture days set up like this (at least during the spring semester). This saved me from having to wake up and be tired all day, but I still got the information well before my lab section.For most of the labs, you will have a five minute quiz before you get started. These require you to know what you are doing that day. They generally cover the reaction and the names of the reactants/products, what to do if you spill X on yourself, what steps were changed by Fjetland from what the book says, and how much of X do you use/what do you do after some step. There is the occasional structure drawing that you have to do as well, but once you get the hang of it you can absorb this information pretty easily while doing your prelab.The grades in this class run out of somewhere in the ballpark of 1100 total points. The quizzes are worth 50 points each, the prelab (checked before you perform the experiment) is 10, the reports are 100, and the computer sets are 75 each. You will turn in your notebook at the end for 50 points (basically did you turn the notebook in and keep a good table of contents.There is a very detailed (26 page) syllabus that Dr. Fjetland puts online. I recommend printing it because it is good to have around when you are writing your reports. They give you the details on each of the experiments in the syllabus, including which pages in the textbook have the background info, any changes to the reports, and what the post-lab questions are for each report. It also outlines when each report is due. This is where good time management comes into play. You usually have two weeks to write each report, which is good since sometimes you have to let product dry for a week before you can weigh it. However, on some days there are multiple reports due, usually an easy one that you only have one week for and the usual report that covers a more complex experiment and takes more time. I would start writing the reports at least 2 days in advance. I did them the night before and did well, but I spent my entire evening getting the report written and doing the prelab. Trust me, it's grueling. Plus, you need time to ask questions about any of the post lab questions or specific things your TA wants included. There are also three computer sets that they want you to do to familiarize yourself with ChemSketch, which models and predicts spectra for chemical compounds. The first one has directions that tell you the answers and how to get there, and the others expect you to use your knowledge to that point. However, the directions for these can be confusing, especially when you have several spectra you could potentially include. If you follow the directions and have someone else around to bounce ideas off of, you should be fine; they are just annoying and seem like busywork. The main thing with these is to not wait until the last minute, because you will often need ChemSketch for parts of it, and it is only available in the Welch Computer Lab. Trust me, the day before these are due (which lasts a whole week since there are sections on most days) the lab gets very full and you will have to wait around for a computer.The level of difficulty in this class is dependent on several factors. First, each TA has a different style of grading and expects a certain workload in the actual lab period. I won't give my TA's name because you have no control over what TA you get, and by the time the first day of school rolls around all the labs are full so you can't change anyways. My TA only had us do IR one time, because that's all you really need to see how it works. Also, the machines in the old Welch labs are cheap and don't give good results half the time anyways. They are waiting until the new ESB gets finished to get new IRs, so you may have better luck with the IRs once they move the O Chem labs over there. However, I know many other people who spent much more time in the lab each time because they had to do these analyses. Just remember how lucky you are if you don't have to do them every time. There are other ways of product analysis that they want you to do anyways, and they work better in my opinion. Also, my TA never had us do melting point, but there are many other TA's who required it.Second, your knowledge of the material from O Chem class comes in handy. Having to learn things for the first time from the dense and not-very-detailed lab textbook makes for a worse understanding of the material than if you have O Chem lecture notes (from 310M and 310N). The labs either cover things you already learned in O Chem, or you do the labs around the same time you learn it in the class. Make a friend once you start lab as well, since some of the later ones are done in partners, and you want someone you can trust and who you know does quality work.Be very detailed in your reports and make sure you get across the point you want to make. A good tip for the discussions is to write out all the theory that comes into play in your experiment (even the simple stuff). You can easily get a page and a half of information and have not even written about the results you got. Just talk about what should happen and why the experiment chooses X method, what factors are necessary to make X method work, etc. Then when you get to the conclusion just discuss your specific results and yield, and provide an error analysis. A few post-lab questions later and you will be done with your report.Overall, this class is a lot of work and I don't recommend taking it with a lot of hours, especially with a second lab. You will spend all your time writing lab reports and never get a break. Just keep in mind that you will have a report due every week, regardless of whether it is a big midterm week or not. Writing the reports gets old after a while, but if you see what they are asking for it just requires a few hours of spitting out information you already learned. Be detailed in your reports and don't be redundant. It's tough since you will have started or turned in 3 reports by the time you start getting them back, but there is still time to do well. Also, there are rumors of a curve in each section. You will hear that only the top 1 or 2 people will get an A. I can't verify this but my TA said it wasn't happening for our section, while other people said Fjetland does it at the end regardless of what the TAs say. Just keep this in mind and don't let it freak you out. One last point, the grades aren't posted anywhere, so keep your old reports around. You will get 3 grade updates throughout the course, where your TA tells you your total points and your rank in the class. Use this with your lab report scores to get a general idea of where you are at any one time. Other than that, this class is a lot of work, especially for only 2 hours, but if you know your O Chem you can do well.

Dr. Fjetland lectures once a week, very quickly. Your grade depends on your TA. Some TAs grade hard while others don't. There is a curve at end of the course however its advised to find an easier TA. The workload is high, once again depends on your TA. You have to write protocols and then do final reports for EACH lab. Also, there are pop quizes which ask questions about what you will be doing in lab, and there are computer sets (3) which are pretty simple.

I would have liked to had Dr. Fjetland for my regular organic class. The guy is VERY approachable, incredibly knowledgeable, and makes his lecture lots of fun. The course is well organized: there were 13 or 14 labs to do throughout the semester, no tests, no final, a lab-notebook grade, and a couple of quizzes before the labs started. Dr. Fjetland's lecture usually never lasted more than 30 minutes and he was good at giving tips to make the labs work a little better. None of the labs were especially difficult. Dr. Fjetland was nice about taking questions during and after class and always responded to my emails within a few hours. Dr. Fjetland takes the grades from all of the sessions and adjusts them so that the people with the hardest TAs and the easiest TAs are graded on the same scales, which is something that most lab professors won't do. He is a really good guy and can be quite funny. Ask to see his methyl-oragne stained shirt if you need a good laugh one day.

Lectures are listed as an hour but never take more than 30 minutes. Labs are listed as 3, but only a couple actually went that long. All you have to read is a few sections each week so you know what is going on. If you don't know what to do and why, you will struggle when you enter the lab. The one hour course receives half as much credit, and from what I hear you also do about half the amount of work as 210C. Currently, I believe Conrad is the only teacher for organic labs, so I guess it's up to you to take the 1 or 2 hour course; there's no choice for prof. As an engineer, I didn't have option of taking 210C, but I think I would have if it was possible, so I could get it over with in one shot. You will probably find this class difficult in the beginning since you will not know what to do and what is expected of you. You may want to speak with Conrad or your TA for help, or just wait it out and you will learn. If you see the TA, you will get on his good side since he will see you are making an effort.

As long as your TA is cool, your class will be cool. There's not much more to say about this class other than that. The lectures are helpful in the beginning as he goes into depth about certain topics. Make sure you take down good notes on the theory behind the expts, unless you already know it, as this will provide most of your points in the discussion/conclusion write-ups. Also, be clear about your calculations in data/results.

He was a very approachable professor and genuinely cared about how you were doing in the lab. He explained the experiments clearly and lectures did help you better prepare for the lab. There is a curve at the end of the semester based on how the TA's grade, so if you have a hard TA don't worry, your average will get curved up. About half the class makes A's.

Fjetland can be intimidating at first, but he is really very nice. He jokes around in class a lot, but still get all the material across. He explains lab procedure before you go into lab, and he picks really good TAs. The TA in your section does all the grading, but Fjetland knows who the tough graders are, and he sets individual curves for those sections.

His lab lectures contain a lot of information and he goes by really fast. I suggest that you write as much as possible because the final lab quiz is basically all that he lectured on in lab lecture. Oh and a tip on the actual lab reports, I recommend that you go to your TA office hours once in the very beginning and have him go over a lab report with you. Just so you know the proper format because the reports count for a good chuck of you grade.

Fjetland sometimes doesn't seem to know his chemistry too well and he gives off an air of not caring when lecturing to a classroom of 200 students. He is friendly though, and gets to the point when lecturing on upcoming lab experiments. Your grade, however, mainly depends on which TA you get, because your TA will do all the grading for you.

Good lecturer. Organic Lab takes forever, depending on the TA you are given, it can heaven or it can be hell. My TA was hard but i ended up getting the grade that i wanted in the class. He ends up having a curve in the end of the course.

Good lecturer, funny and keeps class intertained. The only hard part of this class is the time-consuming reports. Grading based on ranking of all classes combined. I had in the low 80s and still made an A.Usually around the top 4-6 of each lab section get A.s

Fjetland is such a nice guy. Very understanding, very lenient. He will help you if you ask for help. However, you interact more with your TA and not Dr. Fjetland. (thus the four stars and the bad review of the class below)

Fjetland is a cool guy. For 210C, the organic chemistry lab, your TA is what matters. TA not professor. Nabil Khan is a cool TA but, i don't think you get to pick your TA, you are assigned one. Best of luck getting a good one.

Lecture does not always take the full hour. If you go to lecture and take good notes, include them in the conclusion section at the end and add your own paragraph of analysis you're guaranteed at least a B. The quizzes before lab begins can have some trivial procedure steps in them, so studying before lab is needed.

He tells you everything you need to have in your lab report during lecture. Make sure you write down pretty much everything he says. Curve is based on entire class averages for ALL o-chem labs, mostly everyone passes because they can't have people retaking it since the class is in high demand.

You're supposed to read the textbook before class in order to do your pre-labs, but he comes in and explains everything VERY thoroughly and makes complex material easy.
Pay attention to EVERYTHING he says in lecture because if you have a quiz he will have said it during the lecture.
I wish he taught organic chemistry class as his teaching style is great, as it makes a complex subject very simple.
I had a good TA, who made the class lots of fun, and most of your grade will come from the TA.
Curves class according to performance within each individual TA group.

Organic chemistry lab is not the end of the world. Yes, it is frustrating at times. Yes, it is time consuming. But it is not impossible, and most people who really spend a lot of time complaining about it usually put themselves in that stressful situation. Some of the success depends on the TA, but really, each class works on its own curve, so if the TA is "hard", well then everyone else in your class is on the same boat and it won't affect you.

He really knows his material and enjoys teaching the lecture portion of the lab. He goes into detail about the mechanisms and how the lab portion of the class should run. You should attend each lecture before lab because you are given all the information you need for the lab along with helpful information to include in your lab write ups. I honestly learned more from CH 118K than I did from CH 318M (organic chemistry I). The labs take a while to do the write up, but the actual lab experiments are not bad. Sometimes they can be fun. The biggest factor though is who your TA is. The TAs grade the reports and run the labs, but if you have questions, ask the TA and Fjetland. He's a good professor.

He knows every bit of instruction for each lab, and his lectures help to clarify instructions that you didn't understand. Quizzes are also given in lecture, so pay attention to what he says since a lot of the quiz material comes from his lectures.

Dr. Fjetland is always well-prepared to describe each experiment. During lecture, he explains any unclear points about the experiment, and gives a lot of hints and tips. The quizzes are easy if you read the textbook carefully and listen to his lectures.

Yes, Ochem lab is and will be a pain. Despite being only 2 hours worth of credit, it feels like a whole lot more work is required. I recommend NOT taking a Monday lab so you have time over the weekdays to focus on this necessary evil. Professor Fjetland himself is amusing and explains the concepts in an entertaining and clear manner. Do come to lecture, take good notes, and RECORD. Recording will definitely come in handy when writing your lab reports, since you are expected to regurgitate the points mentioned in lecture, as well as some concepts explained in the textbook. Do your pre-lab but don't spend too much time on them since they are worth very little points. As for the quizzes (there will not be one every lab), know the procedures and points mentioned in the lecture. The actual labs are usually long, tedious, and boring. Having a fun or nice TA will make it more bearable (mine was neither).

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